It's just you and me, baby
by Ronniellefan
Summary: 3SHOT. Set in August 2009, with a pregnant Danielle, and Ronnie still not knowing the truth. When Danielle does reveal the truth, will Ronnie be able to forgive herself but with a tragedy around the corner, will she be able to cope?
1. Chapter 1

**Hey! Sorry for the long delay in updating my stories. I had 5 exams this week and I really needed to revise for them so this has taken a bit of a backseat. I still have two exams left but they are in two weeks so I thought I'd write this as I had a break!**

**Hope you are all still reading my stories and I thought this would just be a bit of a change for me to write before I attempt to write any more chapters for my other stories. It will either be three or four chapters long, depending on where this story takes its self!**

**It's set in August last year (2009) and Archie and Peggy's wedding took place without any interruption from Danielle. Ronnie doesn't know the truth and Danielle decided to keep her baby.**

Danielle sat patiently in the lounge of the Vic, her eyes nervously darting across the room as she twiddled her fingers on her lap; her bulging belly making every position uncomfortable. She sighed loudly before placing one hand around the locket hung delicately around her neck and the other protectively on her bump. Her head was spinning, her thought confused and tangled as she sat there; today was the day she was going to tell Ronnie the truth. Even the thought made her feel queasy, this was Ronnie Mitchell – pristine, beautiful, sophisticated, and successful – everything Danielle wasn't.

Her cruel treatment of Danielle this past year was imprinted on Danielle's mind, her abandonment, her twisted and spiteful words and evil looks. Her mother was supposed to be everything, be her everything and she was supposed to be her mother's everything, but things were different with Ronnie Mitchell. Everything was supposed to be ok after the cancelled abortion but Ronnie had continued to let her down again and again, betraying the memory and hopes of her only child.

It was now the 18th August and Danielle had been in Walford for exactly a year, now having the courage to reveal her true identity. The plan was simple, yet effective. She would reveal the truth and abandon her mother, just like her mother had done all those times. She wanted, more than anything for her own child, to have a mother who cared, who actually loved her and held her – everything Ronnie hadn't been. Lizzie had taken that place, and although she had been wonderful, she never really was 'mum'.

Danielle swiftly moved her hand from her locket, before removing it from her neck and placing it into the pocket on her dress. She felt disgusting – Stacey had compared her to a whale, a beautiful whale, but a whale all the same – and even though she knew her best friend was joking, Danielle was a little too sensitive for jokes at the moment. She had 6 weeks left until her due date and with every hour that passed her situation was becoming more and more daunting and more uncomfortable.

She had decided to keep her baby – against Ronnie's best wishes but now she couldn't help but feel she had made a mistake. Ronnie wouldn't want her now – a baby to remind her of the one she disposed of all those years ago. The floorboard creaked outside the living room door and Danielle stood up, ready to finally face the mother that had let her down. Instead, she was surprised to see her granddad stood there, his look of shock slowly fading away when he saw his eldest granddaughter.

"Danielle," He whispered before closing the door behind him, "Shouldn't you be at home resting?"

"I…I came here to tell Ronnie," Danielle stumbled over her words despite her best efforts to try and remain confident. Something about Archie Mitchell always made her thoughts be doubted. Archie moved over to the sofa, sitting down beside Danielle, resting his head in his hands as he tried to persuade his granddaughter to keep the truth to herself and not ruin the father-daughter relationship he had just forged.

"I've told you before, Danni, Ronnie doesn't want to know. It will push her over the edge and with you being pregnant now – I just don't think she can handle it," He spoke softly and his voice was unrecognisable for a moment, almost as if her cared, but the last sentence was spat out. Ronnie's daughter, the baby she had longed for was here but she would ruin everything for him, he thought. Ronnie just wouldn't understand his need to protect them both from each other.

"But she needs to know…" Danielle begged, her voice cracking underneath her attempts to make it fade away, "My…my baby has a right to know her even if she doesn't want to know me,"

Archie raised his head from his hands, the girl had a point. But his needs came before hers, naturally, and he needed Ronnie. "That baby – your baby – will bring back too many bad memories for her Danielle; remind her of what she hasn't got. She doesn't think times moved on, she still thinks of you as a baby, not as an adult. It'll be too much for her,"

"But…I…I need her," Danielle whispered, the tears on the verge of spilling out of her eyes, "I need my mum,"

"Look, it's not good for you or the baby for you to get stressed Danielle," Archie attempted to soothe as her saw his granddaughter become worked up, desperately not wanting her to bring any more attention to them, "Why don't you go home and have a rest and I'll sort this out,"

Danielle stood up, slowly, as she shook her head allowing the tears to gently fall down her checks, "No," she said adamantly as she protected her baby bump as best she could. Ronnie needed to know now so that she could move on, so they both could move on, "Ronnie needs to know, she has to know who I am,"

Archie sighed loudly, adamant that his plan was going to work albeit Danielle's reluctance, "Danielle it isn't good for you or the baby. Telling Ronnie will just make everything worse and add extra stress,"

"But Ronnie needs to know!" Danielle said, slightly louder than she expected as the door was pushed open. A small draught made its way around Danielle's swollen ankles, feeling like heaven as they stood in the sweaty room, reliving Danielle from the heat, but also causing her body to freeze as her eyes caught those of Ronnie.

"I need to know what?" Ronnie asked suspiciously, as she folded her arms whilst remaining on the raised step in the lounge. Her eyes moved from her father to Danielle, the daughter she didn't know, and back again. She transfixed them onto Danielle's growing bump, her thought whirling around what could have been and how she wished she could go back twenty years and fight more to keep her baby, her little daughter Amy. "Go on," she pushed again when she received no reply.

"Danielle was just going, weren't you?" Archie spoke quietly, as he indicated for his granddaughter to leave, however Danielle remained adamant and kept her ground, refusing to move from where she was currently stood. Unable to keep eye contact with Ronnie, she lowered her head and her eyes forced their way onto the floor.

"No…I…need to tell you something Ronnie," Danielle whispered, instantly regretting her words as she saw Ronnie's face of thunder, staring at her and then to her bump and back.

"Go on then Danielle," Ronnie replied, weary of what this girl had to say to her. She had dragged up memories Ronnie had wished she wouldn't have to replay in her mind. As time went on, they became harder for her to recall, almost as if she were afraid of forgetting her little girl's face. If she tried she could remember her daughter's musky baby smell and the touch of her soft skin on hers, as her little baby wrapped her hand around Ronnie's thumb. A magical moment which had been ripped away by her father.

_Ronnie felt her breath hitch in her throat as the nurse passed her, her little daughter. Never in her life had she felt so much love for another human, but this baby, this perfect little bundle of joy was her Amy, her baby, all hers…_

_Her eyes filled with happy tears as she felt her daughter in her arms for the first time, Ronnie treasuring every second with her baby. "Hello Amy," Ronnie whispered as she saw her baby's big blue eyes meet with hers, her daughter was perfect, absolutely perfect. She ruffled her daughter's blonde tufts of hair before smiling back down at her daughter, "I'm your mummy," _

_She moved her hand back down to her daughter's side as she closed her eyes for a moment, taking in the wonderful moment. A second later, she felt the small touch of her daughter's skin against hers, pulling her eyes open with excitement. She looked down and saw her daughter staring at the gold ring Joel had given her. _

_Her baby's eyes lit up as it shone in the different light when Ronnie flexed her hand; as Ronnie felt the butterflies in her stomach. The love for her daughter was beyond anything she had experienced before. Ronnie moved her hand closer to Amy's face, as Amy moved her little arms up and wrapped her whole hand around Ronnie's thumb, fascination once again fading across her face. _

_The tears were unable to be controlled as Ronnie fought to hold them back, her daughter – her Amy – it was more than she could have ever imagined. "I love you so much Amy," she whispered._

"I…I…" Danielle stuttered, unsure of how to break the news to her unbemused mother. Archie had warned her that Ronnie was mentally unstable, and now she had finally decided to tell her, words failed her.

"Danielle, I don't have all day!" Ronnie replied, as she sighed loudly, raising her eyebrows at this girl in front of her. Archie, still remained seated, cautiously watched the exchange between the pair. "What is it Danielle?" Ronnie raised her voice, unintentionally, but scaring her daughter all the same. She hated it when Ronnie shouted.

Upon seeing Danielle's reluctance, Archie stepped in, as he stood up from the sofa, "I think you should go home Danielle,"

"No!" Danielle shouted, "You keep telling me to not tell her but I can't – not this time. She needs to know," The anger inside her, that had built up these past 12 months, had finally escaped – the anger for Ronnie, for Archie and even for herself.

"I need to know what Danielle?" Ronnie questioned again, this time quieter and more soothing as she realised the effect it could have on the baby.

"That you're my mother!" Danielle breathed, unable to summon any energy any more to be bothered about anything. Secretly, she cared, she cared so much, but she couldn't let Ronnie see and break it down. She had already broken Danielle's heart beyond repair.

Confusion flooded Ronnie's face, "What? You're lying, you're lying. You…my...my baby is dead Danielle, she's dead. She died 13 years ago," Ronnie said – her words quieting as she said the last words, as she felt her heart pain, the pain of losing her daughter so tragically once again ripping her heart open.

"No…no I'm not, I'm not Ronnie, you're my mum," Danielle begged as she saw flashes of anger across Ronnie's face. She couldn't deal with another rejection; she was too weak, too pathetic.

"Danielle look, I'm not your mother," Ronnie shrugged Danielle off as the pregnant teenager moved closer towards her, her pleading eyes causing Ronnie to tear her own away. "You…you are not my child,"

"Please Ronnie, I am…I am," Danielle pleaded with Ronnie to believe her, all she wanted was her mum. Her mum…Ronnie. She attempted to move closer but only ended up repelling Ronnie away even further. The stress wasn't good for the baby, Danielle knew that, but she just wanted to hear the words from her mother that she had longed for all her life, the love she craved from the successful blonde.

Keeping her arms crossed, and the anger flash across her face, Ronnie stared at her father, who had kept very quiet through out this exchange. She poised her lips as she saw him approach the distressed teenager, his hand outstretched; Ronnie unsure of what he was going to do.

"Danielle, I think you should go home," he said before approaching Danielle and whispering in her ear, "I told you, it was all too soon,"

Danielle's watery eyes moved to Archie's face, a look of desperation and rejection behind her eyes. The sun was still streaming through the window and the cold air that had entered the room when Ronnie had arrived had long disappeared, "I…I can't. I…I just, Ronnie…"

"Danielle, look. You leave it to me and I'll sort it out," He attempted to soothe, but Danielle had other ideas, as she attempted to reach into her pocket and pull out the golden chained locket, much to Archie's dismay as he attempted to stop her.

"Ronnie, please I have the locket. It has a picture of you when you were little inside it, please I am her, I'm Amy," Danielle sobbed as Archie opened the living room door, his arms tightly around Danielle's. She placed her hands around her bump as a shooting pain shot up through her body, her body screaming in agony, but yet no sound escaping from her mouth.

Ronnie followed the two down the stairs, as Danielle continued to whither in pain. She couldn't help but feel concerned for this teenager, as she saw flashes of hurt scream into her eyes. She had mentioned something about a locket, but Ronnie had no idea if she was telling the truth or if she was her Amy.

But her Amy was dead, her father had admitted it, Danielle couldn't be her. Her father wouldn't lie would he?

"Ronnie please, you're my mum," Danielle begged one last time as they reached the bottom of the stairs, cradling her bump as she attempted to block out the pain.

Ronnie couldn't stand this teenager hurting her more than she had already, the memories continuously being raked over and over, "I am not your mum!" she screeched into Danielle's face as she saw the youngster cower away from her, still tight under Achie's grip, "You –" she pointed at her daughter, the tears continuously falling down her cheeks, "You are not my daughter! I don't ever want to see you again! Your pathetic face or your baby!"

Danielle's breath hitched in her throat before her body cowered in pain once more – something was wrong with the baby, she could sense it. She wasn't due for another six weeks – her baby, her precious baby, the child she thought that would repair the rift between her and Ronnie, was in danger and Danielle didn't know what to do.

"Get out! Just get out!" Ronnie screeched once more as she opened the back door and practically forced the pregnant girl out of Archie's grip and out of the door. She couldn't feel guilty any more for hurting this girl; she had caused her more pain than anyone. She slammed the door shut as Danielle left the building in agonizing pain, sighing loudly as she leant against the door, her fathers smug smile smiling back at her.

Among all the commotion, a golden locket had fallen out of a teenager's pocket, waiting to be found by the woman who meant everything. But how long would it take for a mother and daughter, both longing for each other, to be reunited?


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks for all the lovely reviews; glad to know people are enjoying this fic. Heres the next chapter, I hope you enjoy it! **

Danielle grasped her stomach in agony, withering in the pain and terrified, not knowing what to do. She had hoped that she wouldn't be alone when she had her baby, as she was terrified of what could happen. A surge of water fell to the ground as Danielle held onto her baby belly once again; she felt embarrassed to be in this state in public and slowly made her way to the park, collapsing on the ground in pain as she did.

The tears fell down her face as she sobbed into her free hand, the other holding her stomach. The rejection had gone through her like a knife, plunging through her heart and causing it to shatter but the anger on Ronnie's face was imprinted on her mind. She never thought she could hurt this much – that one person, the one person who was suppose to care for her – could treat her like this and loathe her so much.

As another pain surged through her body, she clasped her stomach as the tears continued to fall down her face. All she wanted was Ronnie, was her mum, but yet at this moment in time, Danielle knew she would have to face her difficulties alone.

In the Vic, Ronnie sighed behind the closed door. The atmosphere was tense as she saw Archie follow her every move; his eyes piercing through her body. Anger was at the forefront of Ronnie's mind; how could Danielle have been so cruel? Ruining the memory of her darling daughter, her little Amy, and tearing at Ronnie's heart, shattering it further.

Those memories were the only things she had left of her precious daughter, of her little angel, and she couldn't let anyone have them of threaten to take them away. Those were the things that kept her living with the pain every day and she needed them to cope – otherwise Ronnie wasn't sure how she would survive.

"Vee," Archie spoke as the silence was broken, "She's deluded ok, just forget about her, she's pathetic – she doesn't deserve somebody like you," He shortened the distance between them as he moved closer, his arms outstretched. Their relationship, although still frail, had improved tremendously and Ronnie now felt comfortable enough to have physical contact with her father.

"Come here Vee," Archie indicated as he gave his daughter a small hug, before she pushed him away.

"I…I need to go and clear my head," Ronnie replied before leaving the downstairs hallway and making her way up the stairs. She brushed her hair from her face as she reached the top of the staircase and sighed loudly.

Instinctively, when she was feeling down, her hand grabbed her locket that hung around her neck and she unlocked the clutch, staring adoringly at the perfect little baby inside. Every feature that adorned this baby's face was memorized in Ronnie's head, the mesmerizing eyes, the soft blond hair and red lips, they were imprinted on Ronnie's mind and she spent every day wondering what her daughter looked like, what her interests were, what she liked.

She closed the living room door behind her as she entered the room, before letting the tears fall. In reality, she was weak and pathetic; the cold hard Ronnie was an act. She was a broken woman, aged from a broken teenager and the only thing that could fix her was gone, her little baby.

Anger flooded through her as she thought about Danielle trying to take the one thing that mattered from her, she needed her baby, her little girl, and Danielle was mimicking her, tearing at the memories that burned inside. She swung her arm out, sweeping it across the cabinet, and knocking a vase of flowers off, watching as the glass vase smashed into a thousand little pieces.

Her eyes washed over with tears as she stared at the water seeping across the laminate floor, one delicate rose spread between the other flowers. A rose - her favourite flower and the flowers that shared the room with her baby and herself for those oh-so-precious hours. She bent down to pick it up, and as she did so, a golden glimmer caught her eye.

The decoration so familiar, and just as worn as hers, the chain sliding through Ronnie's fingers as she picked it up from beneath the cabinet.

Through the floods of tears, her voice hitched in her throat as she carefully handled the locket, lifting the catch and letting the contents reveal all.

Her heart stopped beating in her chest as she stared down at the picture in front of her – a picture of a fourteen year old self. The tears burned the back of her eyes as she realised what this meant – Danielle, the teenager she had so cruelly treated and abandoned – was her daughter, her little Amy. She felt bile rise in her throat as she thought of her awful treatment of this teenager – of her teenager. Never before had she felt so much guilt.

In a blur, she ran down the stairs almost tripping as she did so, stopping immediately as she saw her father, the liar who had ruined everything. The thoughts weren't even being processed in her head as she repeatedly hit her father, throwing punches at his body. Her words, too, jumbled and disorientated as her mind was filled with everything she had said to her precious daughter.

"You lied! You lied! Danielle…she's, she's my baby," Ronnie clasped the locket in a tight fist, desperate not to let it go, as Archie tried to hold her back, his stern eyes once again piercing through Ronnie's body. "I…her baby…she was in pain…and I…I left her," Ronnie struggled to breathe as the reality of what had happened finally hit her.

"Veronica! Just listen to me," Archie snapped at his daughter as she pulled away, the tears falling down her face.

"No!" Ronnie screamed as she opened the door, desperate to run out and find her baby, find her Danielle, "You stay away from me and my daughter, you, just stay away!" she cried before running out of the vic.

Her mind was at a loss at to where her daughter would go; she could feel the stares of the locals on her but she didn't care. Nothing mattered except finding her daughter and making the pain go away, comforting her precious baby. Her whole body was telling her to scream out her daughter's name and then find her and take her in her arms and never let go; it was all she wanted, all she had ever wanted…

She ran around the square searching for her baby, before finally finding her at the park. Everything was a blur; her mind, the images and the thoughts of her daughter, who had so desperately tried to reveal her identity to a adamant Ronnie. Her body froze in shock as she saw her baby in a crumpled mess on the floor, silently screaming for help, and clasping her stomach in agony. Her voice, having no control over it, screamed out to her daughter, "Danielle!"

Danielle could only summon enough energy to look up, but her whole body melted away as she saw Ronnie run towards her, their eyes connected for the first time. A weak smile adorned her face as Ronnie ran over and crouched down beside her. She couldn't take the pain any more, the rejection; she just wanted her mum as she collapsed into Ronnie's outstretched arms.

Ronnie wrapped her arms around Danielle as she felt her daughter fall into them; the tears flowed down both women's faces as they were finally reunited. "Its ok sweetie, I'm here," Ronnie soothed as she placed a kiss on Danielle's head, "I'm so sorry, so so sorry for everything. If I could take it all back I would, I never meant to hurt you – you're my baby,"

Danielle felt herself shake with sobs as she clutched her stomach, desperate not to ruin the moment between her and her longed for mother. "It...it hurts so much Ronnie," she managed between contractions; tightly grabbing on to Ronnie for support.

Ronnie shuddered as Danielle grabbed onto her hand even tighter, unsure of what to do herself. She knew she had to be strong for her daughter but everything was happening so fast, and finding Danielle in pain tore her heart but yet her heart has surged with love at the sight of her beautiful daughter.

"I know sweetie, I know," Ronnie soothed as she brushed the hair out of Danielle's face and supported her daughter as they remained on the woodchips. Ronnie wanted more than anything to just talk with her daughter, really talk to her and get to know her but she knew that this baby – her grandchild – wouldn't wait. Obviously, she didn't want her daughter to give birth in a park, so racked her brain as to the nearest place – the club.

"Danielle," Ronnie whispered as Danielle's sobs subsided, "Do you want to go to the club? Nobody will be around, it will just be me and you and then I can phone an ambulance ok?"

Danielle nodded as she heard Ronnie speak. Only thirty minutes ago, Ronnie had hurt her but now, now she was acting like the mother Danielle craved, the woman she needed to care for her. She was in so much pain and so scared that it didn't matter what was in the past, only that Ronnie was there for her now.

"Can you get up Dani? I'll be here helping you," Ronnie whispered unable to believe that this was actually her daughter, her baby. She was so beautiful, so perfect. Wrapping an arm around Danielle's waist, Ronnie helped her daughter up, who collapsed on Ronnie for support as soon as she was on her feet.

Five minutes later, they had managed to get inside the club, Ronnie breathing a sigh of relief as they did; away from preying eyes, from nosey locals and safe from her father. Danielle hobbled, with Ronnie's help, to a quiet corner full of bean bags and cushions. Aiding her daughter to sit down should have been a natural motherly instinct but it all felt strange to Ronnie, a new experience that she never thought she's do.

As another contraction made its way through Danielle's body, she clasped Ronnie's arm in pain, her eyes desperately darting to Ronnie's as she silently apologized. She felt so stupid, so pathetic that she couldn't even deal with this; millions of women had babies every week – why couldn't she do it?

Ronnie helped Danielle lay down, gently propping her head up on the cushions surrounding them. Brushing her daughter's fringe out of the way, Ronnie stayed by her side whispering soothing words and a thousand apologies. "I'm so sorry Danielle, so sorry," she fought back the tears as Danielle's doe eyes met with her own crystal blue, "He was lying, I should have know, I should have believed you. I should have helped you," She cursed herself for so cruelly dismissing her own daughter.

"You're here now," Danielle breathed, a watery smile across her face. Ronnie beamed back, her heart bursting with pride and love as she saw the most perfect smile she had ever seen. This girl, her little girl, was beyond perfect, she was everything Ronnie had imagined and more, so beautiful, so caring, so considerate.

Danielle let out a pained cry as pain shot through her body once more; Ronnie comforting her daughter and rocking her in her arms. She knew that she couldn't keep this up much longer; Danielle's contractions were getting closer together and her baby needed to be born sooner rather than later.

"Danielle, I just need to get some towels and water ok – I'll only be a few minutes," Ronnie placed another kiss on her daughter's forehead as she felt Danielle's hand tightly hold onto her own.

"No, please don't go, please…please stay," Danielle begged as she tried to block out the pain; she wanted to prove she was the daughter Ronnie wanted, not the one she had rejected and given up. But at this moment in time, the pain was too much, it was unbearable and the comfort Ronnie was given her meant the world to Danielle.

Ronnie agreed, unable to consider leaving her precious baby when she was in this state; she remembered how alone and how much agony she was in when she had her baby, and she wouldn't wish the same on her baby girl – especially not now she had just gotten her back. She searched through her mind, through her thoughts; to find somebody she could ring to help her and her baby daughter. Her mind suddenly clicked as she pulled Danielle in closer, Roxy was on a date with Dr. Al, surely they would be able to help?

"Its ok baby," Ronnie soothed once more as she comforted her baby, "I'm going to ring Roxy ok?"

Danielle nodded once again at her mother's question. She was still in shock at how quickly everything had changed, at how Ronnie had changed and was so different. They had plenty of time to talk but at the moment, everything was perfect – Ronnie was acting perfect, saying the right things and being the mother Danielle had wanted her to be.

As Ronnie dug her phone out and rang Roxy, Danielle managed to calm herself slightly, adjusting herself on the cushions and making herself more comfortable as Ronnie continued to hold Danielle close. Danielle managed to scrap back her hair in her hands as she felt her makeup dripping down her face; she felt disgusting. Ronnie seeing her in this state was her worst nightmare; she always made such an effort, always ran on Ronnie's schedule and made such an effort to make sure Ronnie liked her. But now, looking in the state that she did – and without any effort, Ronnie liked her, she was here holding Danielle's hand when it mattered the most, she was saying the right things, acting right. Doing everything Danielle had wished she had for the past year.

"She'll be 5 minutes ok, sweetie," Ronnie tucked a spare piece of Danielle's hair behind her ear as she tried to take her daughter's mind off the pain, "Do…do you want me to get you anything?"

Danielle shook her head, her eyes looking into Ronnie's once more. "You're so beautiful," Ronnie breathed as her eyes locked with Danielle's, her daughter pulling her eyes away as her checks blushed red. This was all she had wanted, all they had both wanted – to be together and reunited at last. Nothing was going to deny them the happiness they deserved and craved, was it?


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm SO SORRY for the long delay in updating this and everything else! I've been so busy and I have had so much work but hopefully I should be able to update again soon. **

**This is the last part of this story so I hope you enjoy it :)**

The pane of glass was cold against her head as she gently rested it on the transparent material. Her eyes were all puffy from the tears she had shed and her heart was aching as she looked at all the machines attached to her precious granddaughter. Little Lexi Grace. Her little granddaughter, her daughter's daughter, her baby. Her eyes blinked, only for a fraction of a second, as she crossed her arms and stared through directly at the tiny baby in the incubator. The doctor surrounding her and inserting sharp needles and tubes into the little girls skin made Ronnie squirm and shudder with the thought of her granddaughter suffering.

She remained in the same position for several minutes before she had to tear her eyes away through the blurred vision, caused by the tears misting across her eyes. Why did this have to happen to her, to her precious Danielle and her treasured granddaughter? All the tests and blood samples this little baby had had to endure in her short life already, it just wasn't fair. Ronnie would do anything to take the pain away and be the one suffering.

For years, for twenty long years, she had yearned for her little girl, her baby, her Amy and now here she was alive with a little girl of her own but this wasn't how she had imagined it. They were both in hospital and Ronnie was stuck in the middle, not knowing where Danielle wanted her to spend her time and also not knowing anything about her baby.

Yesterday, Danielle had let her in and let her hold her in her arms and it felt so natural, so right, but yet now Ronnie wasn't sure where she stood. She wanted to help Danielle, to help take her fears and pain away but after all the things she had said, all the things she had done, maybe Danielle wouldn't let her. Maybe she didn't want to let her. But she couldn't let her daughter face this alone; she couldn't let her deal with this grief and raw pain by herself, not again. She had let her down too much and she wasn't prepared to let her little girl down again, not when they needed each other the most.

After a few more minutes, staring at her perfect blonde haired granddaughter, Ronnie walked away from the intensive care unit and made her way to her daughter's room. Oh how her baby had been through so much and yet, she still didn't know the full extent of what was to come. Of course she understood that something wasn't quite right but she was so naïve, so innocent. Ronnie wasn't sure she would understand the full extent of what was about to happen.

The room was silent as she entered, just as it had been when she had left. She let a small smile grace her face as she looked at her blonde haired daughter, so pristine and gentle as she lay there.

Her eyes were glued shut as she lay uncomfortably on the chair in the hospital room; the past 12 hours had taken its toll on her as she lay there engulfed in her nightmares. So much had happened, so much hadn't been said and there was so much, that as this moment in time, Danielle had no idea about.

Sighing, Ronnie opened her eyes to the white hospital room, a few stray tears leaking from behind her eyes as she thought about the terror and fear her daughter would soon have to face. She would be there, of course she would, she would hold Danielle in her arms and tell her everything would be ok. She would never let her go, and she would remind her baby that she would be there through everything. But Ronnie feared it wouldn't be enough, she feared that the pain and hurt would be too much for her precious daughter.

Her eyes drifted to a sleeping Danielle, so peaceful and angelic in her dreams. Her blonde hair was spread across the pillow and her eyes shut closed, small black circles encircling them the only sign of the tiredness she had endured. Ronnie couldn't help but smile as she saw her daughter so perfect and child like. Now wasn't really the time to be smiling but everything she had wished for was here. Her baby, her little girl was here and well.

So much had changed in the past twelve hours and Ronnie wasn't sure what to expect when Danielle awoke. Her granddaughter was fighting for her life and her little girl didn't fare much better, passing out due to loss of blood after the birth. The terror that ran through Ronnie's blood had never been so prominent, she had been petrified, haunted by the feeling of loss and grief she had felt two years ago when her father had lied about her baby dying.

Slowly, she saw Danielle's eyes prise open as she leaned forward, gently stroking her daughters forehead as a sign of comfort, tucking her hair behind her ears. She was so perfect, so very perfect.

"Hey," Ronnie whispered as she saw Danielle's eyes lock on hers. Those beautiful brown eyes that had been in Ronnie's eyes since that day twenty years ago, the shape and sparkle that they gave off when Danielle gave a small smile. Lexi had the same blue eyes as Danielle had had, the same shaped nose, shaped face and her hair was fair and blonde.

Ronnie assisted Danielle as she attempted to sit up in her bed, smiling as she did so. Her ears filled with the joyous sound of her daughter's voice as she heard her small timid voice,

"How is she?" Danielle whispered, as she looked at her mother. This was her mum, her mother, Ronnie Mitchell. Everything was so weird but at this moment in time, things weren't just about her, they were about her daughter, her little girl.

"Nothing's changed really," Ronnie replied, "They're still doing tests," she said sorrowfully before taking Danielle's hand in her own and giving it an encouraging squeeze, "She looks exactly like you did you know,"

Danielle blushed slightly, gently squeezing Ronnie's hand in return. This was so unreal, so perfect and exactly how she had hoped everything would be from day one. However, things weren't that simple. Her Lexi was ill, she was in hospital fighting for her life and yet she was only less than a day old. Nobody knew what was wrong with her and Danielle prayed that her little girl would make it. She wasn't sure what to expect from Ronnie but as this moment, she needed her mum to tell her everything will be ok, to hold her in her arms. She needed somebody to be strong for her and her daughter.

"Do you want to go and see her?" Ronnie quietly questioned as Danielle replied with a small nod. Danielle was apprehensive about seeing her daughter in so much pain; she was worried it would be too much. She was too weak to cope with the suffering her baby was going through, it broke her heart just thinking about it. It was amazing how much power this baby held over her, how much love she had for this child, for her child.

"Will you come with me?" Danielle asked her mother, tearing her eyes away as she did so. She was still too scared of rejection, she was too weak and vulnerable and with everything happening all at once, she wasn't sure how she would cope if Ronnie, once again, left her to fend for herself.

"Of course," Ronnie smiled as she reached out her hand and gently lifted Danielle's face upwards, embracing her daughter's face in her hands. "I'll be here for everything sweetie, we'll get through it," Ronnie soothed as she wiped the tears falling from her daughter's eye with her thumbs, before pulling Danielle into a hug, gently rubbing her hands up and down her back.

As Danielle was wheeled to the intensive car unit, Ronnie kept a firm grip on her daughter's hand. The nurse was carefully explaining the current situation Lexi was in to an unresponsive Danielle. The thoughts were muffled inside her head, the ache and confusion clouding over what should have been a joyous moment. What had she done wrong? Was this her punishment for almost aborting her daughter?

"The tubes might be a bit upsetting Danielle but there's nothing to worry about," the nurse carefully explained as they reached the door, "I'll be back in half an hour to take you back because you need your rest and so does your daughter,"

The brunette nurse let go of the handles of the wheelchair, she gave a comforting smile to Ronnie and a small nod. A few moments later, Ronnie had helped Danielle up out of the chair and was carefully helping her into the silent room. The only sound filling the air was the continuous beeps of the machines.

They made their way over, Ronnie assisting her baby and gulping back the tears that formed in her eyes.

Danielle did the same, letting out a sob as she finally placed her hands on the glass encasing her baby. She was so small, so tiny and helpless and here she was, having done nothing wrong, being kept alive by all these machines. She tightened her grip on Ronnie's hand, grateful for the support. Nothing else except little Lexi mattered at this moment in time, nothing else. The pain her mother had caused her was vanished and she only had eyes for her little girl.

"She's so small," Ronnie murmured as she moved her eyes from Danielle to Lexi and back again. She returned the grip on Danielle's hand as she wrapped her spare arm around her little girls shoulder, gently comforting her and soothing her.

It was a few minutes before Danielle found the courage to speak, "Wh…what did I do wrong?"

Feeling her heart crumble, Ronnie blinked back tears taking her daughter closer into her body, "Nothing baby, you did nothing wrong," she shook her head in disbelief as she carried on speaking, "these things happen, you did nothing wrong, nothing ok?"

Danielle didn't dare reply as her whole face broke down in tears, the sobs filling the eerie silence, as Ronnie took her in her arms, wrapping them silently around her daughter's body.

"Hey, it's ok Danielle, it's ok" she soothed, gently brushing her daughter's blonde hair, "everything will be ok. We have to be strong ok, strong for Lexi and we'll get through this,"

Danielle carried on sobbing, her quiet shakes engulfing Ronnie's heart as she herself let a few tears fall, "It's just you, me and Lexi, baby. We'll get through it, sweetie. Everything will be ok,"

As they two women shared a moment in their grief together, one of the machines suddenly stopped, before doctors rushed in, leaving Danielle and Ronnie together in the terror and anxiety for the little girl, who at only 12 hours old, had already made such an impact on both their lives…


End file.
